Syllabus:

• the relationship between one particular ritual or practice and the lives of people

What is sin?

• any deliberate thought, word, deed or omission that breaks the law of God

What are the effects of sin?

• always self focussed

• Catholics believe sin is always about selfishness (putting oneself before God and/or others)

Sin and God’s commandments

• God has given us commandments not to make us unhappy that we ‘have’ to follow them, but because it is in following these ‘rules’ that we find happiness

God the designer

• sin means a person doesn’t use their human free will the way they were designed to

More than just rules

• God doesn’t want us to simply ‘follow the rules’ (10 Commandments and Jesus’s Two Commandments), but He gives us grace so that we may willingly choose not to break the rules because we desire and choose to love instead

• person that doesn’t desire to break the law is truly free from the law - only the person who desires to break the law, needs the law

Two categories of sin

• mortal sin - sins that completely sever a person’s relationship with God

Conditions for mortal sin:

• grave/serious matter

• full knowledge

• full consent

• venial sin - sins that weaken a person’s relationship with God, but do not break it completely

How does a person get rid of sin and start afresh with God?

• Sacrament of Baptism - cleanses a person from original and all personal sin.

• Sacrament of Penance - provides God’s forgiveness for, and healing from any sin (mortal and/or venial). The person is then reconciled to God and to the Church

Important note:

• sin is also a state of being - original sin. A state separated from the life of God, without which we cannot merit or share in God’s life and benefits

• Sacrament of Baptism restores that state for the first time (makes us into children of God, before which we are not) and subsequently the Sacrament of Penance as well.

Biblical origin for the sacrament

• after his Resurrection, Jesus told the apostles, “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained” (John 20:23)

• “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful” (James 5:16)

Purpose of the sacrament

• to ask God for forgiveness for sin committed in one’s life

• to be healed from the effects that sin produces in one’s life

• to receive grace to avoid sin in the future

The key features of the Sacrament of Penance

1. Contrition

2. Confession

3. Satisfaction

   • Giving of Penance (to be completed after absolution)

   • Prayer of contrition

4. Absolution

(1) Contrition

• involves an examination of conscience (requires a person to think about their conduct since their last confession to a priest, asking the Holy Spirit for enlightenment as to how they could have loved God, others or oneself better)

(2) Confession

• involves the penitent confessing every mortal sin and every habitual venial sin to the priest (ideal to confess everything you can remember)

• mortal sins must be confessed. If a penitent knowingly chooses not to confess any mortal sin, then the sacramental is invalid

(3) Satisfaction

Consists of 2 parts:

• giving of the penance. The priest will give a penance to the penitent, so that he/she can heal from the damage caused by the sin. The penance usually consists of either prayer or a good work of some kind, and it helps the person grow in love of God and neighbour

• prayer of contrition. This is a prayer that the penitent says, telling God they are sorry and that they will not offend him again

(4) Absolution

• priest gives God’s forgiveness to the penitent. The priest is given the power to forgive sins through the Sacrament of Holy Orders

• “… And I absolve you of your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

The Sacrament of Penance produces effects in one’s life:

1. Forgiveness - restored relationship with God and the Church

2. Healing (partially or completely) from the effects of sin (depends on the depth of one’s sorrow for sin)

1) Forgiveness - Restored Relationship with God and the Church

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:

“Those who approach the sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from God’s mercy and are reconciled with the Church…” (para. 1422)

With God…

• sin damages our relationship with God because it is void of love. To sin, a person deliberately rejects the God of love in the moment of choosing the sinful thought, word, action or omission

• Sacrament of Penance mends this relationship because the penitent apologises for not loving God as they should have

With the Church…

• sin damages our relationship with people of the Church, because it is void of love. The Sacrament of Baptism unites all members of the Church into one spiritual body. When a person sins, they hurt themselves and, by extension, the rest of the Body of Christ (the Church) is affected too

• Sacrament of Penance mends this relationship because the penitent is sorry and wishes to work with the Body of Christ and not against it

2) Healing - From the Effects of Sin

Examples of Ways People Grow in Healing

• Inner Peace

• Increase in self knowledge

• A more informed conscience

Inner Peace

• person who owns up to selfish acts (e.g. in the Sacrament of Penance) is the person who is freed from the guilt that accompanies these

Increase in self knowledge

• the more a person receives the Sacrament of Penance, the more they realise how much they are in need of God’s grace

A More Informed Conscience

The person who receives the Sacrament of Penance will:

• see more clearly what ought to be done in particular circumstances

• be more willing to accept that such-and-such is sinful, rather than attempt to rationalise and justify their sinful behaviour

• give more reasonable guidance to their emotions rather than acting based on how they feel